Traction devices as contemplated for the present invention are often referred to generically as cleats. A cleated football shoe has different types of cleats that provide improved traction on different kinds of turf. A golf shoe has cleats that provide stability for a golfer when swinging a golf club. Not as common but considered to be as desirable are cleated shoes for walking on ice-laden walks and so on.
The problem with such cleated shoes is that the cleats are not desirable on surfaces that either are impenetrable to the cleats or have surface finishes that can be damaged by the cleats (e.g., inside floors of homes, restaurants, club houses and the like).
This dilemma has not gone unnoticed and there are numerous patents that have issued that purport to solve the problem via retractable cleats. Typically, holes are provided in the sole and/or heel of the shoe and different means enable the extension and retraction of cleats through the holes.
Whereas these concepts have been in existence for years, none are considered feasible and none have found acceptability in the marketplace. It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a shoe having the retractable cleats that adds the desired feasibility.